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May 15, 2015 – David Steffen (’75 B.S., ’78 M.S. fisheries and wildlife sciences) was awarded Honorary Membership in The Wildlife Society, a 10,000-member professional organization committed to addressing national and international issues that affect the current and future status of wildlife in North America and throughout the world. Honorary memberships, of which only a few are awarded each year, recognize continuous outstanding contributions to the wildlife profession.

In addition, Steffen, who also earned a master of applied statistics from Louisiana State University in 1980, received the Henry S. Mosby Professional Wildlifer Award from the society’s Virginia chapter. The award, given to one professional wildlife biologist each year, bears the name of the first head of Virginia Tech’s fish and wildlife conservation department.

Steffen, who currently serves as science coordinator on the Terrestrial Wildlife Science Team for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, began his career with the Mississippi Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Parks in 1980. Since returning to Virginia in 1988, he has worked in various management positions for the agency, all the while remaining a dedicated research cooperator with Virginia Tech.

He has actively cooperated with faculty in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation on projects addressing black bear, white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, northern bobwhite, eastern wild turkey, and coyotes. Since 1990, he has given several lectures each year to the department’s Population Dynamics and Estimation course.